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<center><h2>How Apples could both be Nutritious and Harmful</h2></center>

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>“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” –A Common Phrase

One of the foods that I include as part of my daily meal is apple. And as we all know, apples are one of the extremely nutritious fruit and probably one of the healthiest foods one can eat. As others would say, apples deserved to be called the “nutritional powerhouse”. 

In fact, apples are listed number one in the [top 10 healthy foods article by Medical News Today](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/245259.php). The fruit is also considered as a miracle fruit for its health benefits. Apples contain antioxidants, flavonoids, dietary fiber and other important nutrients.

Apples contain Vitamin C, B-complex vitamins, dietary fiber, phytonutrients, and other minerals such as calcium, potassium and phosphorus. These are important nutrients that our body needs to maintain health and prevent diseases and damages cause by free radicals.

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Research studies suggest that present important nutrients, especially the phytonutrients and antioxidants help prevent development of cancer, hypertension, diabetes and heart disease.

There are also studies which suggest that apples help improve neurological health, prevent dementia, reduce the risk of getting stroke, lower the level of bad cholesterol in the body, helps prevent developing of breast cancer and prevent obesity.

And I think that this is not surprising after knowing the nutrients that we could possibly get from apples. For example, Vitamin C helps boost your body’s resistance to battle against infectious bacteria and helps blocks damages caused by free radicals.

<center>http://vkool.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/how-to-boost-immune-system.jpg</center>

Another is the B-complex vitamins and the dietary fiber we get. B-complex vitamins helps maintain red blood cells and nervous system in good health while dietary fibers lowers the amount of bad cholesterol in the body thus prevents it from rising. 

But what is the proper way of eating apples? While some of us might not like the skin of the apple, science suggests, including this during consumption is healthier. But why?

According to USDA, a 100 gram apple with skin has an approximately equal to the nutritional value listed below.
1|2
-|-|
Energy - 52 kcal | Carbohydrates - 13.81 g
Fat - 0.17 g | Protein - 0.26 g
Water - 85.56 g | Sodium - 1 mg
Beta-carotene - 27 μg | Lutein and zeaxanthin - 29 μg
Thiamin (vitamin B1) - 0.017 mg | Vitamin A equiv - 3 μg
Riboflavin (vitamin B2) - 0.026 mg | Niacin (vitamin B3) - 0.091 mg
Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) - 0.061 mg | Vitamin B6 - 0.041 mg
Folate (vitamin B9) - 3 μg | Vitamin C - 4.6 mg
Vitamin E - 0.18 mg | Vitamin K - 2.2 μg
Calcium - 6 mg | Iron - 0.12 mg
Magnesium - 5 mg | Manganese - 0.035 mg
Phosphorus - 11 mg | Potassium - 107 mg
>[Source](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/267290.php)

However, despite the fruit being nutritious, eating too much apple may become harmful to one’s health. Since apples are acidic, excessive consumption of it may damage your teeth, even more damaging than carbonated drinks.

According to Professor David Barlett of King's Dental Institute,
>"snacking on acidic foods throughout the day is the most damaging, whilst eating them at meal times is much safer. It's not what you eat it's how you eat it - an apple a day is good, but taking all day to eat the apple can damage teeth."

[Source](https://www.kcl.ac.uk/newsevents/news/newsrecords/2011/10October/Study-shows-acidic-food-and-drink-can-damage-teeth.aspx)

Also, since apple seeds contain cyanide, which is a powerful poison, thus eating seeds could be fatal; therefore it is wise not to consume this. Nutritionists also suggest not to consume too much apple in a day.

<center>https://i.imgur.com/2wD5TJt.jpg</center><center><sub>Photo taken by my iPhone 6s plus</sub></center>

Therefore, although there is no serious side effect linked to apple consumption, precautions are still necessary. Thanks for your time reading my post! Have a great day ahead!

Images: [[1]](https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/26/16553942/apples-wash-pesticides-baking-soda-chemicals-organic-peel-fruit), [[2]](https://www.plainsborolibrary.org/events/apple-festival/), [[3]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKZ4S8h1IFI), [[4]](http://vkool.com/how-to-boost-immune-system/)

References:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/267290.php

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